


something shattered

by angryviolin



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: M/M, Post-Episode: s03e13 The Wrath of the Lamb, Post-Fall (Hannibal), Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:01:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27475432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angryviolin/pseuds/angryviolin
Summary: “God will revel in us yet.” Hannibal’s voice comes out raspier than he expects and he strains to finish his sentence.“I think he’s reveling in us now.”
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 14
Kudos: 35





	something shattered

When Hannibal comes to, half naked and propped between pillows against the wall, he’s not sure what he expects to remember. 

He remembers falling. He remembers plummeting beneath the surface of the ocean, remembers the race of his heart against Will’s cheek, understands the gravity of his being alive. The bullet wound in his side is stitched shut and bandaged, the surrounding skin stained yellow with iodine, and he does not remember how any of it happened. His skin still has that residual salty feeling that sea water forces upon you, all dry and prickly up his arms and neck like splintered bits of glass. 

When he tries to lift his head and the entire room blurs and spins, he is suddenly very aware that he’s on a cocktail of painkillers capable of killing a horse. He isn’t sure if the footsteps he’s hearing are real or not, and he half expects Jack to materialize in front of him, gun cocked and pointed at his head, ready to just end all of this like he knows Jack wishes he would have years ago, even if he never could admit it to himself.

When his eyes focus enough to see Will Graham standing in the doorway, silhouetted by the daylight seeping into the room around his figure, looking half angel and half devil, Hannibal lets out a shaking sigh of relief. He sees Will with a sudden clarity, sees the darkness in his eyes match the darkness under them, sees the stitches in his cheek quiver as they stare at each other. He watches Will sway from side to side with the room and realizes with certainty for the first time since waking up that they are on the water and not still under it. 

“God will revel in us yet.” Hannibal’s voice comes out raspier than he expects and he strains to finish his sentence. 

Will says nothing to acknowledge him, just walks slowly forward and places his hand over Hannibal’s forehead. He seems satisfied with whatever warmth he does or doesn’t feel, and he lets his hand linger against Hannibal’s face, fingers brushing the short hairs down to curve around his ear. He can feel Will’s wedding ring brush hard and cold against the skin there. 

“I think he’s reveling in us now.” Will says softly. 

Hannibal feels a sudden tightness in his throat and he can’t find anything of substance to say. He watches Will smile as his vision starts to go dark around the edges, framing Will there, burning him into his retinas. 

*****************************************

The next time Hannibal awakens, his skin is soft and scrubbed clean, his clothes and bandages are new, and he remembers falling asleep with Will’s hand in his hair. 

He isn’t sure what’s woken him up until he becomes re-acquainted with his body and his throat closes in on itself, feeling like sandpaper and cotton balls. There’s a glass of water and a handful of pills on the bedside table, which he now soberly notes is chipped and industrial like the rest of the room. He drinks every last drop of the water, which is room temperature and tastes like it’s been kept in the storage container of a boat for a few days, and sets the empty glass next to the pills. 

There is no sign of Will in the kitchenette/bathroom/bedroom conglomeration Hannibal has found himself in and he sits up in slow motion, planting his feet on the carpet heavily. He doesn’t hear any movement coming from outside the door, but somehow he can see Will looking wistfully out to sea in his mind’s eye. When he stands, Hannibal nearly doubles over in pain but he does not reach for the pills. 

When he pushes the door open and steps cautiously through, it is dusk and the ocean is calm, stretching out endlessly all around him. Will looks only mildly surprised to see him, looking over from a cushioned corner seat with his legs folded beneath him. His arm is resting on the edge of the boat, his wedding ring catching the sunlight and reflecting it back into the sea. For the first time in a very long while, Hannibal feels quite small. 

“You didn't take the painkillers.” Will states, his brow flat against his face. 

“I wanted to see you sober.” 

“They weren’t going to knock you out like the last ones.” Will argues, his voice soft around the edges.

Hannibal lowers himself into the seat across from Will, aware that his every shift in muscle is being watched and tracked with a predatory precision. He can’t find it in himself to return the favor. He studies Will quietly, mentally tallying each of his visible scars, imagining what the slice in his cheek will heal into, what it’d feel like to trace his fingers over it. 

“I didn’t know you knew how to suture.”

Will looks back out to sea before responding. “At some point over the past few years I figured it’d be in my best interest to teach myself how to treat wounds.”

Hannibal doesn’t respond. He watches Will’s curls part to reveal the scar across his forehead, his hair ruffling in the gentle breeze. He follows the line of his cheek and jaw into his neck, into his chest, into his abdomen. He sees himself reflected in every inch of Will’s body. He lets himself relish in it. 

“Stop looking at me like that.” 

“How is that?” Hannibal looks up into Will’s eyes. 

“Like you can see everything.” 

“I can only see you.” Hannibal says honestly. 

He watches Will consider this for a few minutes, watches his eyes wander back down to his hands in his lap. Hannibal notes how exhausted Will truly looks, his eyes bloodshot and sunken in, his face pale and thin. He’s bruised and crusted with blood and salt, his hair slick with grease. 

“Would that be enough?” Will’s voice is barely above a whisper. 

“It always has been.” Hannibal replies even quieter. He stands up in front of Will and offers his hand. Will takes it gently, but he doesn't use it to pull his weight up. He folds Hannibal’s hand around his own, closes his eyes. 

“I don't know how much I can give you, Hannibal.” Will says, his eyes still closed.

“You’ve already given me everything.” Hannibal lets Will hear his words and feel the weight of it through their hands. He studies Will’s eyelids, closed and creased with stress and age, his lashes resting wet against his cheek. 

“It’s alright.” 

“It’s not.” Will shakes his head, tries to draw his hand away but Hannibal holds it tighter. 

Hannibal examines the water around them. He has no idea where they are, if they are on course for a destination, if they are trailed closely by Jack Crawford, if their wounds are mutually infected. He has no idea what process Will went through to get them here, together, but he marvels at the remarkability of it all anyways. He trusts him. 

Hannibal tugs on Will’s hand with both of his, pulling him towards him. It’s not enough to pull him up, but Will stands up anyways, wraps himself in Hannibal’s arms. He rests his face on Hannibal, halfway between his chest and his shoulder, lets Hannibal press his lips next to his ear, lets him whisper to him. 

“It will be.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thanks for giving this a read, I have no idea if I will write more chapters or not, but um, let me know what you think! I just started taking adderall for my adhd and I thought I was going to get schoolwork done but this happened instead???? This was not beta read so please excuse any grammatical errors. I have yet to find someone to help me proof read, and though I may be a native speaking English major I still don't fully understand how the language works. This is my first time officially posting my work on ao3 so here goes nothing I guess. Would love to hear any and all feedback!


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